Solo Queue Beginner's Guide! (Videos)

TheBloodyAugust·May 30, 2014·13 votes·4,286 views

Hey! So when I started playing back in 2009, I loved stuff like Shurelia's Zoning Tutorial.

It gave good, structured advice concerning a nuance of the game where there otherwise was none, and it opened my eyes to the depth of League.

And I kind of wanted to make more in the same vein. So I took what I knew, conferred with lots of plat and diamond players, and utilized my abilities as a kung-fu-narration-padawan to begin this series of tutorials!

So without further ado, I present, for the approval of the Community, the first of my series: the Champ Select Tutorial

I would just eat my hat if someone from Riot said they liked it. :3

21 Comments

RiotRiot GirlMay 30, 201410 votes

I like it!

But you should probably not eat your hat. It suits you much better on yer noggin than in yer belly.

TBH, I clicked on this in trepidation - cause Solo Q for beginners sounds like sheer terror! I played Smite for the first time last weekend and the people yelling at me even though I was like "this is my first time playing this game, please do not ask me to hang myself while i learn" brought back a flood of bad memories of me in the fetal position, clicking mice and my keys through a film of snot and tears. (Even my mom, who hit 30 before me, would spectate my games and text me "n00b" - she's not a gamer and plays with chat off, so I don't even know how she learned the term - when she saw me being out cs'd or whatever in lane) Videos like this drastically cut down on my in game taunts from mom. <3

TheBloodyAugustMay 30, 20142 votes

Well that settles it, then. Just so your mom doesn't abuse you, I have to keep making more! Honestly, if that doesn't sound like Riot sponsorship, I don't know what does.

RiotRiot GirlMay 30, 20144 votes

To be fair, my mom is rad enough that when I was like 'I like this game, you should play it with me sometime' she took her summer vacation to learn LoL and played it nonstop. To the point that my dad and brother were a little bit concerned.

RhytoJun 1, 20142 votes

Much respect.

MrBuffingtonMay 30, 20142 votes

How strange, my best friend jumped ship from LoL to Smite (Let's just say I used to be a pretty toxic player. We're still best friends though, almost convinced him to play League again. Almost). First game he played, he said the same thing, and they were like "don't worry man, this isn't LoL." I guess there are just toxic people everywhere.

I did have fun in Smite when I tried it, though I have to say the pain of learning an entirely new/different MOBA terrifies me, unless it's somewhat casual (Awesomenauts was fun). Like, DOTA2 scares the Hecarim out of me...

RiotRiot GirlMay 30, 20142 votes

Yeah I have a friend who jumped to Smite for the same reason in part - that's why I was playing it.... everyone but my friend was really harsh to me. Like harsher than when I started LoL. Harsher even that my WoW days.

But to be fair, my IGNs are always really girly ('estrogen-kitty-meow-meow' level girly) and i think that, coupled with the fact that i send hearts and x's and o's into all chat at the start of every game tends to incite violence in certain guys. I don't even want to tell you guys what happened when I owned an x-box and wanted to shoot zombies for the first time. I had to hear that ish too, because voice chat.

MrBuffingtonMay 31, 20142 votes

I heard WoW players could get pretty nasty, never got past like, lvl 20 so I couldn't speak from experience, ahaha, only did solo quests. I did play a female night elf one time though, had a lot of male...er...admirers...

Did the guys on Xbox think you were a girl or a prepubescent boy? Ahaha...

RiotRiot GirlJun 3, 20141 votes

They were certain i was a girl. It was unprecedentedly vile.

MrBuffingtonJun 4, 20141 votes

Ahem...well then...I haven't been on live in several years, but I recall a mute function?

RiotRiot GirlJun 4, 20142 votes

In L4D 3? Maybe - it was x-box, i didn't know how it worked, I just wanted to shoot zombies!!! The PC L4D'ers are a much nicer group.

MrBuffingtonJun 5, 20141 votes

Perhaps if you decide to hop on again? My only experience in L4D (L4D 3? HL3 confirmed?) is on PC, but I agree about the community

MrBuffingtonMay 30, 20143 votes

Loved both videos. You also have a great voice for narration/explanation, very clear and at just the right speed (not too fast to make me feel stupid and not too slow to make me feel...well...stupid, lol). Subbed, looking forward to the rest of the episodes!

TheBloodyAugustMay 30, 20144 votes

Haha alright! Thanks! Now to get Riot to hire me... ^_^

TheRealCoxinatorMay 30, 20142 votes

Sound a lot like Draven .

HazeyInDaHeadMay 31, 20141 votes

I luh dat voice so nice sounding

FlintfallMay 30, 20142 votes

Nicely done

ispypatrickMay 30, 20141 votes

IO love you for making this is there a way i can contact you please i dont even know what the videos were u kmow you have a Riot dream go for it! If so camper Joe you know ill keep a map and summoner 14 summoner 11

Sir ArmaMalumMay 30, 20141 votes

Good stuff, I'll keep an eye out for the next episodes. While I'm not a beginner, I'm always curious on how others handle coaching and teaching beginners. I learn a lot myself, just not in the the way you probably expected =D

Zok72May 30, 20141 votes

This is a good video with a great point! That said, there is one MAJOR aspect of champion select (at all levels) that you kind of glossed over, namely counterpicking and picking to complement your team. Now I'm not saying you should just go out and pick what counters the FOTM, but you should stress the value of late picks in choosing a favorable matchup.

As an example, I can play Vi, Fiddlesticks, and Nasus fairly well out of the jungle. Who do I pick? Against an enemy Amumu for example I almost always pick Vi for her strong early dueling potential so we can invade one or both buffs. If I have a zed in midlane and a malphite top, I will often pick Fiddlesticks (barring an unusually bad jungle matchup) because his magic damage complements the low magic damage of our team and the role of a tank is already filled. Nasus is chosen when I see a bunch of passive lanes and I know I can farm up a storm and enter lategame as a beast (a job many feral flare junglers would do better, but back to the first point of your video I play what I'm good at, not what is meta).

I think a little aside, or just another video, mentioning his type of strategic thinking with regards to champion select is good.